South American Dinosaurs
on the Peruvian Ica Stones are widely regarded as a hoax. ]] As well as Africa, South America is also the place were persistent dinosaur sightings take place. Most of these dinosaurs are reported to be sauropods, theropods, pterosaurs (though these are not actual dinosaurs) and iguanodons. Unlike Africa there are places in South America that have remained stabled for more than 65 million years, making it a more likely location for potential relic dinosaurs to pop up. The most remote areas of the South American rainforest are also sources of persistent dinosaur reports, made by many explorers since the earliest time these areas were penetrated. Exploration by Fawcett Tenacious and eccentric, the British archaeologist and explorer Percy Fawcett devoted years of his life to mapping the hostile jungle territories of South America. He seemed impervious to the numerous perils of the region, which included rough terrain, malaria, dangerous animals, poisonous snakes, vampire bats and unfriendly native populations. After hearing oral legends and reading manuscripts during his early expeditions, Fawcett became convinced that a lost city built by Europeans and brimming with gold was awaiting discovery in western Brazil; he referred to the hypothetical metropolis, which he thought might hold clues about the origins of human civilization, as “Z.” "In 1907 Lieutenant-Colonel Percy Fawcett of the British Army was sent to mark the boundaries between Brazil and Peru. He was an officer in the Royal Engineers and was well known as a meticulous recorder of facts. In the Beni Swamps of Madre de Dios Colonel P. H. Fawcett saw an animal he believed to be Diplodocus... The Diplodocus story is confirmed by many of the tribes east of the Ucayali, a region covered by Clark." (Clark, Leonard, E., The Rivers Ran East, 2001, p. xvi.)The intrepid explorer also picked up reports of huge monsters inhabiting the swamps near the Madidi River in Bolivia. "There are snakes and insects unknown to scientists, and in the forests of the Madidi some mysterious and enormous beast has frequently been disturbed in the swamps--possibly a primeval monster like those reported in other parts of the continent. Certainly tracks have been found belonging to no known animal--huge tracks, far greater than could have been made by any species we know." (Exploration Fawcett, 1953, pp. 220-221.) In 1925, Fawcett traveled to Brazil with his oldest son Jack and Jack’s friend Raleigh Rimell. On May 29, he telegraphed his wife to report that the three men were leaving behind their Brazilian guides and forging ahead into uncharted territory to uncover the wonders of Z. They were never seen or heard from again. Although Fawcett had specifically asked that nobody be sent after him, various search parties attempted to rescue the missing explorers or at least glean information about their whereabouts. Their disappearance remains a mystery to this day, though it has been speculated that they were killed by indigenous tribes or perished in the treacherous jungle. Some theories about Fawcett’s fate seem less likely, such as the rumor that he lost his memory and became a cannibal chief. Category:Dinosaurs and Pterosaurs Category:South and Central America Category:Cryptids Category:Cryptid Wiki Category:Locations Category:Evolution Category:Swamp Beasts